Second, if you want to be a successful change agent, ground yourself deeply in the change literature. The more you know, the more you know. Read deeply, don't skim; there are no shortcuts here. I recommended some books to get you started. The free IBM Change Toolkit also has a wealth of tools and information and is intentionally designed to walk school leaders through each step of the change process.

Finally, understand that school change is the proverbial giant hairball. One of the reasons that change is so difficult to scale up is because it's so local. Each organization has its unique strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. You must know your organization well and be able to adapt all of this to your local setting.

Good luck! You'll need it!

For those of you who'd like quick links to everything from last week...

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